LSU Tigers: Cincinnati Bearcats

CALERA, Ala. -- Spring practice just wrapped up for ESPN 150 athlete Ronnie Clark, and he put an exclamation point on it last week with three rushing touchdowns for Calera High School in the first half of their spring game.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound athlete is playing quarterback this year for the Eagles, but he is being recruited as a defensive player for the next level, either as a linebacker or a safety.

ATHENS, Ga. -- For most high school players, the end of practice means they get a break from the incessant nagging and ceaseless instruction of their coaches. They go home, eat dinner, study and enjoy the respite until the whistles start blowing next time. For ESPN Watch List safety Quincy Wilson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./University School), that is not the case.

Two-way athlete Brandon Powell (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach) is one of the fastest-rising prospects in the state of Florida in the last four weeks or so.

Offers from Cincinnati, Indiana, Marshall, Massachusetts, Northwestern, Purdue, USF and West Virginia had all come in for the 2014 prospect. But two big ones on the same day were the highlight.

"It was exciting, especially when I got Tennessee and LSU in the same day," Powell said. "That was a big day for me. It is just that they are in the SEC. That is the big-time conference in college football. That's why it was so big for me."

A little less than a week later, they both have offers for scholarships from LSU. Both offers would have them greyshirting, meaning they would pay their own way to school in the fall semester, then join the team in spring 2014.

Accomplishments: Won a battle for the weakside linebacker spot in the spring and hasn't looked back, his 92 tackles ranking second on the team to Kevin Minter. While Minter gained more attention, Barrow's steady play helped the linebackers become a strength of the Tigers defense. He also had 5.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

Shortcomings: While it's hard to find much to complain about from either Minter or Barrow, it is noted that the Tigers did not stop the run well in either of its losses, at Florida and to Alabama. While there has been much trepidation around LSU for what has been an exploited pass defense lately, it remains true that in the only two games the Tigers lost, they allowed opponents to have their two best rushing days this season against LSU.

Against Clemson: While the focus on defense will be on Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd and the Tigers' high-powered passing attack, it's up to Barrow and LSU's defensive front to make Clemson one-dimensional. If Barrow has a good game and LSU stops the run, it would propel Barrow into a leadership role on defense next season, especially considering what seems like Minter's imminent departure to the NFL after this season.

"I just needed to get a couple of things in hand and I'll be visiting Oklahoma this weekend," Bain said. "They reached out to me back in July and I'm looking forward to the visit."

The 6-foot-3, 285-pound Bain, who committed to Florida State as a junior and re-opened his recruitment earlier in the year, appears to be leaning towards a future playing outside of the Sunshine State.

Malachi Dupre (New Orleans, La./John Curtis) put himself on the map last week dazzling at LSU's football camp for all to see.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound wide receiver excelled first in passing drills before testing off the charts, proving that he was more than just a big body. Shortly afterwards, a tender from the reigning SEC champions put Dupre firmly on the map as a big-time prospect.

"I went to the camp knowing what I can do," Dupre said. "I don't think too many people knew my talent, but I knew what I could do. I think a lot of people were sleeping on me, and I went out there and was basically beating real, real good defensive backs and when then happened, the coaches liked me. Then my vertical, I jumped a 40 1/2 and once I did that, that was it. I was extremely excited to get that offer."